


Don't Look Down

by Luxwinggo



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Are you still reading these?, Autistic Angus, Gen, also johann should have two n's what the fuck guys, and i wish we got to see him and johan interact more, but now its my turn okay, everyone have written this fic at some point probably, headaches and static normal voidfish stuff, id die for angus honestly, mild description of drowning at one point very brief, some mild description of head trauma, some talk of sensory overload
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 08:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17117540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxwinggo/pseuds/Luxwinggo
Summary: Angus McDonald returns to Neverwinter after helping close the Rockport Slayer case and all should be business as usual. Or it should have, until his Sergeant shows him what's happened to the victim's name in the case file. Little does Angus know this new mystery of unreadable names, forgotten people, and mysterious symbols will lead him farther than he could have prepared himself for. Has the moon always been that big?Or: How a 10 year old boy landed on the moon and almost died.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's on new meds? This has been sitting in my drafts since August and I'm finally getting it finished. I was originally going to publish it as just one long work, but then I broke it into chapters for easier reading. I'll post them as I finish editing them. 
> 
> Shout out to charmandhex, everqueen, AGirlNamedEd, and Astralcities for being really cool!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Names are going missing. Angus does research.

 

 

Angus pushed open the door to his Sergeant's office and stepped inside. A large half-orc man sat among the paperwork, peering over his glasses as the boy entered. He smiled wide and stood from his seat, his voice booming across the cramped room. “Angus McDonald! Welcome back, m’boy!” He brushed off some crumbs from his button up shirt and crumpled tie, extending a huge hand out to the detective.  
  
Angus nodded to him and shook the extended hand, which was large enough to encase his entire forearm. “It’s good to be back, Sergeant Bloodgore.” He tried to shake the feeling back into his arm when it was finally released and took a seat across from the desk. “Sorry for the delay, sir!”  
  
Bloodgore fell back in his chair and leaned back with a sigh. “Don’t start apologizing, McDonald. We caught wind about your grandfather - you know we would have let you take all the time you needed!”  
  
“I know sir, and I’m thankful.” Angus folded his small hands in his lap and smiled. “But, if I may sir, being back at work is the best thing for me right now.” The look of concern on the Sergeant didn’t escape his perception. Angus knew everyone was expecting him to cry and mope like a child who had lost their last living relative. In all honesty, he had mourned the loss of his grandfather long before he died. With the man’s mind being absent for well over a year, every bit of him that held love and meaning to Angus had passed. It was all for the better, seeing as how Angus couldn’t even bring him his cherished silverware set before he died.  
  
Bloodgore exhaled and leaned forward, his arms resting on the massive desk. “Well, McDonald, I can’t say I’m not glad you returned. We’ve run into some…” He paused and began tapping a folder. “Well... shit, McDonald. I hate to say it, but we’ve had some trouble with the Rockport case you closed.”  
  
Angus tensed. “Did I file something wrong, sir? I’m sorry! I-I can fix it right now! Let me-” He began to stand, “L-Let me -”  
  
Bloodgore shook his head and motioned for Angus to stay seated. “No no, nothing like that! This ain’t a normal kind of trouble, McDonald. Well, it’s nothing close normal for us, anyway,” he joked with a pleasant grin. “And I know it’s nothing you’re capable of, McDonald.” He winked at the boy, adding a quick “No offense”.  
  
Angus’s brow furrowed as he straightened his glasses. “Sir...what kind of trouble do we have, exactly?”  
  
The sergeant exhaled . “Well, you won’t like it.” Bloodgore opened a heavy drawer in his desk and rifled through the folders. He grabbed a large one held together with rubber bands and hefted it onto the desk before Angus with a thud. Across the tab were the words “Rockport Slayer”, a red CLOSED stamped across the front. Bloodgore waved his hand at the folder. “Look for yourself.”  
  
Angus eyed the sergeant with a skeptical look, then leaned over to see the file. It looked normal enough, same as when he had seen it last.  Angus opened the file and read over the case file synopsis:  
  
Neverwinter CASE File 36271-88i “Rockport Slayer” Status: CLOSED. Suspect: Gillman Jenkins - DECEASED. Known Victims: Ka’Shal Ventroi, Dorgus Krox, L̵̶̛e҉҉̧e̸m̶̕͢͟͠a͢͏̷n̢͢͡ ̨͜҉̷Ķ͝͞e͏̶s̵͠s͝͡҉͏̛l̡̧ę̶̷͡r̵̵̢ ̷̴̧͡ -  
  
Angus paused. He looked back over the list of victims.  
  
Ka’Shal Ventroi. Dorgus Krox. L̴͟͜͠e̸̸͝͝e̸͟͞͞m̡̛͜͢a҉̴̨͘͢n͜͠ ̕K҉͠e̵͟͏s̵̨̢s͜͏l̨̛͠e̢͟r͝҉̡͜ ̵͜͜.  
  
He stared at what he knew was a third name on the list. He saw the letters. He knew they spelled a name. And it was a name he was familiar with. But, for whatever reason, Angus couldn’t make his brain register it. The harder he focused on the words, the more blurry and illegible they became. It was as though they swam off the pages.  
  
He jerked his head up and stared at his sergeant, bewildered. Bloodgore sighed and nodded. “Told you you wouldn’t like it.”  
  
“Sir, what is this? Did someone tamper with these files? I mean, I don't...it’s got to be some-some sort of mind...altering magics, some kind of illusion magic. Someone would had to have-”  
  
“Whoa there, pump the breaks McDonald!” Bloodgore sat up and jabbed a meaty finger at the open file. “Now, I’ve already had the boys down in the arcanium take a look at it and they can’t pick anything off it. There’s no magic going on anywhere on this paperwork.” He sighed, sitting his chair back with a loud creak. “The only parts of the file that are like that are that...name? it is? All the places that name appears, it looks like.”  
  
Angus looked back at the papers and thought as hard as his little boy brain could. There had to be a way to tell what was tampered with in the reports. If they could figure that out, then it could lead to the cause. Angus thought of his notebook - he wrote down anything relating to his casework there! He reached into his shoulder bag and pulled out a tattered black book, flipping it open to the entries from Rockport.  
  
Rockport Slayer - possible theft - vault only opened by engineer. Passengers (suspects?) list: Jess “The Beheader”, Graham, Bo Magnus, Justin Taako “From TeeVee”(?), L̷͘͜͞e̡͘ȩ͡͠m̶͘͝a̸͝͏͘͏n͏̷͟͞ ͡͠K̷̡͢e͘͜͠s͏͢͝s̢̛͟͟l͝ȩ̴r̶͢͢͝ ̧ Merle Hightower High-  
  
Angus gasped. He paused as he stared at the pages, words that he himself wrote and remembered writing. It couldn’t have looked like this when he wrote it. He looked back at his sergeant and handed the man his notebook. “You’re right, sir! It’s not the file that’s been magicked - it’s the name! No one could have tampered with it in the files AND in my notes without me knowing!” He concentrated on Bloodgore as he asked, “Has anyone noticed other files with the same abnormality, sir?”  
  
Bloodgore shrugged. “Kid, no one’s remembered this weirdness long enough to think about actually looking for it! Most of the boys seem to forget about it soon as I mention it or don’t even notice it...somehow? I’ve never come across something this weird since that shit in Bottlenose with the...damn, what was that? You know, the thing with the...with all the heads?”  
  
“It was a hydra, sir.” Angus looked back at his notebook and scanned the pages for anything else that might be odd. He turned to one of the last pages from the case and saw…  
  
He slammed the book shut, causing Bloodgore to jump in his seat. Angus smiled at him and jumped up from the chair. “Well, sir - I’ll start looking around to see if I can find the cause of this! Thank you for bringing this to my attention!”  
  
Bloodgore blinked in surprise. “Uh...yes, well, McDonald, uh...if you need any-”  
  
“If I need anything, I’ll be sure to ask, sir!” Angus already had the door open as he waved to his sergeant. “Thank you, sir! Tell the kids hi for me!”  
  
Then the boy detective was gone.

  
  
-v-

  
  
He knew it! Those three men from the train - the ones who spoke in static and were terrible at lying. Angus had sketched a picture in his notebook of the symbol that was on their metal bracers. Now, when he looked back at the drawing, he couldn’t make anything out of it. The symbol wavered and shifted like the letters of the name.  
  
The static, the unreadable names, those three - somehow, it was connected. Angus didn’t have all the pieces yet. He needed to conduct some research.  
  
His first stop was to the militia archives. Neverwinter HQ took on cases from all over the continent. If Angus was going to see if any other names were tampered with, the old case files were as good a place to search as any. The workers who attended the archives were more than happy to let him search, as Angus was well known (and well liked) throughout the militia. Sometimes he worried people only saw him as a mascot. Then again, he had the highest closed case count in the last two years, which was saying something for any detective.  
  
Still, he didn’t like to think too hard about the smiles and smirks people showed him. Being seen as a mere child was a useful when he worked undercover, true. Not so much when he had to rely on these people for work. Angus did everything he could to seem more professional in their eyes. He had stopped bouncing his legs when adults were present and didn’t play with the hem of his shirts and kept them tucked and neat. And if he ever found himself chewing a pencil it would find its way into the trash bin before anyone saw it.  
  
It was hell trying to concentrate on anything when adults were present. Thank Istus they left him alone in the archives, he thought as he pulled a pencil from his bag and placed it in the corner of his mouth.  
  
Angus passed the cabinets closest to the front and grabbed a handful of files from the last few months. He sat them on the heavy desk table nearby, kicking up a layer of dust and spiderwebs as he did. Angus sniffed the dusty air and bit down on the wooden pencil in his mouth. Grabbing a random folder from the pile, he settled onto the small stool and prepared himself for a long night of investigation.  
  
To his surprise, it only took ten minutes before Angus found what he was looking for. It was a case from two months ago involving a string of petty thefts. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the names of the people that were erased, but where the crimes were committed.  
  
LOCATION: P̢͏̷̨ḩ͟a͜͢͢n͜҉d̛͏͘o̷͏l͝͠i̕͡͏̴n͟҉  
  
Angus put a hand to his chin as he looked over the file. Once again, every instance of that word was unreadable. So, it wasn’t only people that were being erased, but entire locations! The idea that something was strong enough to do this caused a shiver to run down Angus’s spine.  
  
This had to be connected somehow, Angus thought, adjusting the pencil between his teeth. He needed more clues.  
  
He searched files well into the night, coming across more and more words that were blurred and unreadable. People, places, possibly objects in some cases - none of them seemed to have any connection to each other besides the fact that Angus couldn’t read them. The more he found, the less things made sense. He became frustrated with himself, believing that there was an obvious clue that he was missing. Angus concentrated on every word again and again but still, nothing clicked.  
  
He spat out the pencil he had been chewing, suddenly realizing it had snapped in his mouth. Angus sighed in exhaustion as his concentration broke, throwing a file down to rub a hand over his face. This wouldn't be the first case he'd taken that stumped him at first. There was an answer to this somewhere.  
  
He turned back to the pile and opened a case that occurred in this precinct last year. He just needed to find more clues, Angus thought. Opening his notebook, he began writing down the names of people who had their testimonies filed. The case had involved an attempted murder, but the suspect was never caught. Their name was completely unreadable.  
  
Maybe, he thought as he wrote the names and locations down, someone would remember it. Or at least give him somewhere to start looking.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To [REDACTED] with loathing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus gets frustrated. Hey, it's Carey! And is grand theft sphere a crime?

 

 

A week into his investigation and Angus wasn't any closer to finding answers than when he'd started. Everyone he asked in Neverwinter claimed they remembered the case and remembered giving testimony. But when Angus asked them if they remembered who the suspect was, they’d always seem to have forgotten. It was the same story for everyone he mentioned the case to, even the detectives who had lead the investigation.  
  
Even Sergeant Bloodgore couldn't recall them.  
  
Strangest of all, when Angus brought up the erased name from the Rockport case, Bloodgore acted like he didn't even remember showing it to Angus.  
  
“B-but, Sergeant Bloodgore, you’re the one who had brought the changes to the Rockport case files to my attention!” Angus stared at the half-orc in disbelief. Bloodgore just shrugged and scratched his head.  
  
“McDonald, I don’t know what to tell ya, I don’t recall anything about any names. I don’t even know where the Rockport case file is! Probably got sent down into the archives by now.” Bloodgore shook his head and blinked. “Remind me, McDonald - what, uh…” He laughed nervously. “This is gonna sound ridiculous, but what was the Rockport case about, again?”  
  
Angus let out a breath in frustration. This had to be part of whatever was erasing the names. The people and places weren’t just names becoming unreadable - they were all being forgotten. Wiped from people’s memories. It could have been possible he was the only one who remembered at this point - likely due to him investing all his time to working the case. He chewed on his nail as he thought. The different names that were being erased had no visible connection, and now people were forgetting the Rockport case. None of it made sense.  
  
He blinked as he remembered something odd. The men on the train with the bracers. They mentioned a place Angus couldn’t remember once. They also found some sort of magical artifact on the train - the same thing Jenkins was after. And now, Angus couldn’t recall the symbol on their bracers.  
  
They had to be the connection. Whoever they work for must have something to do with-  
  
“McDonald? You with me, there?”  
  
Angus snapped his head up and smiled at the sergeant. “Yes, sir! I’m fine, really!” He saw the uneasy look on Bloodgore’s face. “Honestly, sir. It’s nothing. You’re right, it’s all probably in archives already. I’ll take a look in the morning.”  
  
Bloodgore’s brow furrowed and he crossed his arms. “McDonald, it’s been a long week. Why don’t you take the weekend off? Everyone’s already on my ass over hirin’ a ten year old, wouldn’t do to have him go batshit on my shift.” He let out a loud laugh. “Save THAT for when you get MY job!”  
  
Angus forced a chuckle in response. “Thank you, sir. I think I will take some time off.”  
  
Of course, he had no plans to drop his investigation. Angus removed his notebook from his shoulder bag as he left the station, flipping through his recent notes. The only connection everything seemed to have was to whatever organization Taako, Merle and Magnus had belonged to. That is, if they even were part of one. It could just be those three.  
  
Angus rolled his eyes at the thought. There was no way just the three of them could do something like this. They couldn’t even solve a murder without the help of a child.  
  
The child was the world’s greatest detective, but still.  
  
He paused as he passed by the general store, staring at his reflection briefly. Sometimes he could forget just how small he was. Angus sighed as the child with glasses and fancy boy clothes stared back at him. No matter how accomplished he was or how much good he did sometimes, it didn’t seem like anyone would ever take him seriously. He could usually use that to his advantage, making people say things they otherwise wouldn’t around an adult.  
  
All the same, he wanted to be part of something bigger, sometimes. It didn’t help that he was alone now. With his grandfather dead and his parents refusal to acknowledge him as soon as he started work with the militia, his work was really all he had.  
  
Angus gave the reflection a sad smile.  
  
“You a fan of knives, kid?”  
  
Angus jumped back, returning to reality when he realized someone was standing beside him. He looked up to see a dragonborn woman grinning at him, light blue scales reflecting the sunny sky. Her yellow eyes flickered as she watched him startle and she chuckled warmly. “Sorry, kid. Didn’t mean to scare you.”  
  
Angus shook his head, trying to steady his heart. “Oh, n-no ma’am, it’s quite fine! Was just lost in thought a moment! Sorry ma’am!”  
  
The dragonborn smiled again, flashing some intimidating teeth as she did. “This place sells some pretty good knives, but I think you’d be better off with a yo-yo or a Fantasy GameBoy!”  
  
Angus faked a laugh, only feeling slightly annoyed by her comment. He stopped when he saw something reflecting from the dragonborn’s arm, his eyes growing wide. Under her blue leather tunic, he could see something silver poking out under her sleeve. Some kind of bracer with a symbol on it he couldn’t quite look at.  
  
He couldn’t help but gasp.  
  
“You alright, kid? Need me to help you find yo-”  
  
“FINE, MA’AM!”  
  
The dragonborn eyed him with skepticism as she watched Angus tense. A moment passed and she shrugged, giving his shoulder a light pat. “A’ight, weird kid. Don’t zone out while crossing the street!” She sneered playfully before walking past him.  
  
Angus didn’t move at first, taking several deep breaths as he watched her leave. Then he grinned, turning down the sidewalk to follow the dragonborn. Angus ran down to the corner of the street and paused at the side a the storefront. He peered around the corner and caught a glimpse of white horns moving past the market stalls. Whoever that dragonborn was, she was heading out of the city.  
  
Possibly, to whatever hideout they stayed in, Angus hoped as he followed her at a safe distance. The dragonborn made her way past the city gates and out to the main roads, treading at a casual pace. He watched her pull out what he assumed was a stone of farspeech and speak into it, but he couldn’t get close enough to hear anything without being seen. She was laughing as she spoke to whoever was on the other frequency.  
  
Angus almost felt bad for sneaking after her. She seemed nice for a member of whatever organization that was erasing people’s memories. Maybe he could convince her to turn herself in.  
  
As he contemplated being a character witness, the dragonborn suddenly moved off the paths and out into a wooded area. Angus quietly darted into the trees after her. It was late afternoon and the light in the woods was fading, but he could still find the path following the dragonborn. Being a small boy did have its perks, as he could move through the trees almost silently. He hoped the hideout was somewhere close all the same - he hadn't thought to bring his crossbow and there was no telling what was in the woods besides him and his suspect.  
  
Angus wasn’t afraid. He was a very cautious little boy who learned to expect danger whenever he followed someone.  
  
A few more feet and a clearing opened before him. The dragonborn was standing out in the open area, tapping her bracer. Was it some type of communication device, Angus wondered. Then, she stood with her arms crossed and looking up at the hazy sky.  
  
Angus waited to see if something would happen. Maybe a secret entrance would open, or some magic would dispel and reveal a hidden base. His mind went wild with theories as he continued to watch from behind the trees.  
  
Five minutes later, still nothing. The dragonborn started swinging her arms around and pacing the area, looking restless. The thought that she could have known Angus was following her and she was waiting for him to leave crossed his mind. That was a possibility, but Angus had no plans on-  
  
He looked up and saw something falling from the sky. Angus could almost make it out in the distance, catching the sunlight glinting off its round surface. The fading sky shone on it as it fell, and Angus felt his stomach drop when he realized it was for the dragonborn.  
  
This was one of the few moments where Angus rushed in without thinking. He jumped from the trees and ran straight for the dragonborn. She turned to him with astonishment right before he swung his small arms around her middle. He threw all his weight on her, throwing them both away from the sphere’s destination.  
  
Angus squeezed his eyes closed and waited for the impact that never came. He cracked opened his eyes as he heard the soft thump behind him, turning to see that the sphere had landed softly. How that was even possible, taking into consideration it’s speed of descent, Angus had no idea. could it have used magic?  
  
Angus stared at it in amazement as a large metal door swung open, revealing four seats inside. The sphere appeared to be made of steel with a glass dome over it, a small metal box sitting at the top. He had never seen anything like it before. The construction looked simple, but how in the world was it able to reduce its speed that fast? How was it being controlled when there were clearly-  
  
“HEY - WHAT THE-”  
  
Angus jumped off the dragonborn as she squirmed under him.  His heart began to race as the dragonborn scrambled to their feet, staring wide eyed at him. He hadn’t long enough to figure out a plan of escape, and the dragonborn would catch him if he tried to run. Then, what? Angus’s eyes darted to the various knives on the dragonborn’s belt.  
  
“Woah, kid! I'm not gonna hurt -”  
  
This was another moment where Angus rushed without thinking.  
  
“-HEY, DON'T-”  
  
Angus bolted, hearing the dragonborn shout at him from behind. He did the first thing he thought of and jumped into the glass sphere, pulling the door down behind him. Angus held the door handle tight as he panted, staring at the dragonborn running towards him. She slammed against the glass, beating a fist into the door and yelling for Angus to open it. Angus stared at her, refusing to let go of the latch.  
  
A weird feeling weighed in his gut when he heard a clicking sound from the door. The dragonborn’s eyes widened as she looked at the top of the sphere. Angus followed her gaze and saw the metal hatch at the top open, releasing some kind of self inflating balloon. Angus tried to open the door, but the handle remained latched.  
  
His stomach twisted when he felt the sphere move. The dragonborn was shouting into a stone of farspeech. Angus tried to hear her before the sphere lurched upwards. Angus fell back into the seat behind him and stared up through the glass dome. The balloon was almost inflated.  
  
The knot in his stomach became a lead weight of panic. Angus tried jumping up from the chair and the sphere wobbled around him. He fell back against the seat, feeling a spike of panic as he turned to the windows.  
  
All he saw was the sky.  
  
Angus sat with his back against the seat, clenching the armrests and feeling his heart hammer against his ribcage. He never considered himself to be especially afraid of heights. Being a detective meant climbing fire escapes and scaffolding while chasing criminals. Looking down from a precarious height was nothing new for him.  
  
As he braved a peek down over the spheres edge, Angus realized there was a very big difference between looking down from a two story building and looking down from seventy feet in the air from a glass orb.  
  
He jerked back against the seat again and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sudden nausea. Angus tried to calm himself down by wondering where this vehicle was taking him. No doubt the dragonborn told her compatriots what happened.  
  
Angus swallowed hard. They'd be waiting for him wherever he was going.  
  
He opened his eyes.  
  
Was the moon always that big?  
  
Angus rubbed his eyes and blinked. The moon was definitely bigger. He stared for a moment before realizing that the moon wasn't getting bigger - it was getting closer. The more he looked at it, the stronger the uneasiness and nausea became. Angus tried focusing on the fact that there was no way the sphere had risen high enough to reach a moon. As he did, he felt an unnatural dizziness.  
  
Something on the moon opened. It looked like a porthole of some kind, large enough to fit a battlewagon through. Angus blinked. The moon having some kind of man-made entrance on it was completely inconceivable. If that was the case then the moon would...would have to be...some sort…  
  
The next thought that seemed so obvious never came. The more Angus tried to think of it, the louder the static became. It was reaching a point where Angus thought he would become sick.  
  
Wait.  
  
The sphere was heading straight for the opening.  
  
His panic began to boil over as his eyes darted all around the vehicle, looking for any sort of control panel or steering mechanism. Angus found an opened box of Fantasy Luna bars and tossed it away with a huff. The sphere seemed otherwise empty until he spotted a lever near the front seats. Angus reached for it, pulling in hopes it would slow his ascent. Nothing. He was at the entrance now. All he could do was sit flat against the seat and watch the world grow dark around him as the sphere entered the moon.  
  
The entrance closed behind him and Angus became enveloped in complete darkness.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To [REDACTED] with the utmost hatred.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus gets some exercise. Johan misses his stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update might not be until around new year's!

 

 

The sphere was still rising. All he could hear was his panicked breathing and the occasional scraping of metal nearby. He waited. He could feel the ascent begin to slow as a pinpoint of light appeared above the vehicle’s balloon.   
  
Angus’s stomach dropped. Someone...or something was going to be waiting for him. On the moon. Inside the moon.   
  
He squeezed his eyes closed as the glass ball was then engulfed in light. Angus held his arms up as his vision began to adjust to the light. The sphere shuddered and landed on a solid surface, pitching to the side while the balloon deflated.   
  
Then, silence. No one jumped him. The sphere didn’t explode. The ghost of his grandfather didn’t appear and welcome him to the ethereal plane. He blinked, hesitating to move a moment longer. Nothing but muffled sounds and bright lights.   
  
Angus attempted to catch his breath as he peered out of the glass sides. Bright, triangular lights lined the dome ceiling of a hangar, like the ones that housed the steel ships near the Sword Coast. The floor of the building had several portholes with massive cannons standing near each one. Everything seemed impressively ornate and advanced. If he wasn't trespassing, Angus would have wanted to study as much of the machinery as he could.   
  
A few people stood nearby, all them wearing similar blue uniforms and the same metal bracer Angus had seen before. Somehow, people were living inside the moon. As that thought occurred to him, he began to feel lightheaded. Angus realized that just looking around the room made him feel dizzy. It was as though everything he tried to focus his eyes on had a layer of static around it.   
  
He’d felt this type of static before. Angus tried to remember where as he continued to stare out the glass sides of the sphere. He leaned forward for a closer look, placing his hand against the side panel to steady himself.   
  
Soon as his hand touched it, the panel slid open and Angus tumbled forward with a yelp. The people nearby stopped talking.   
  
Angus glanced up from his now awkward position on the hanger floor, meeting eyes with two humans and an orc with an impressive ponytail. All their eyes were on him.   
  
For a moment that felt like hours, they stared back at one another. One of the humans (Angus noticed he held a small flask) broke the silence, slowly pointing to Angus before speaking.   
  
“That’s...Is that a kid?”   
  
Angus flashed them a sheepish grin. “He-Hello, sirs!”   
  
The door to the front of the hangar was thrown open by an orc woman. She stood there, panting as though she ran there, and her eyes grew wide when she saw him on the floor. She shot a look back at the man with the flask and yelled to him.   
  
“AVI! GRAB HIM!”   
  
Angus scrambled off the floor and bolted towards the closest exit, which happened to have the orc woman standing in it. She readied herself to grapple him just as he fell to his knees and slid under her and out the doorway. He sprang to his feet and ran fast as he could away from the hangar, the orc woman’s voice booming after him.   
  
The view outside was disorientating. Of all the things he expected to see on the moon, lush grass likely wasn’t one of them. Neither were trees or people, for that matter. His eyes darted at his surroundings as his legs pumped against the stone pathway. The dizziness was worse out here. Tall lamps lined the path and glowed bright under the now dark sky, showing Angus’s path but hurting his eyes. The more he saw the worse the static was becoming.    
  
People in the same blue uniforms and metal bracers watched him run past, reacting a moment too slow to grab him. Angus could just barely hear the orc woman’s voice boom behind him as he push on. He turned a corner and bumped a man holding a stack of papers and sent him falling in a shower of white sheets. Angus wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t focus on the man for too long.    
  
A voice rang out around him with a tinny echo, as though it was being projected from a machine. People were calling out behind him. Their yells followed him as Angus turned down a path leading a dome with a tall obelisk structure atop it. He needed to find somewhere to hide and get his bearings, and maybe wait for this migraine to pass. He didn’t know if it was the static, the disorientation, or the fact that he was somehow running through the grass on a moon, but something was sending his mind and body reeling. His eyes couldn’t focus on anything for long without him feeling like he’d be sick.   
  
He reached the dome and threw the doors open, panting as he ran into a room empty save for a massive pillar at the center.   
  
His shoulders sunk as he slowed to a stop. A dead end.   
  
“DON’T MOVE!”   
  
Angus spun around too quickly and his vision wobbled. He held his head and winced as he eyed the orc woman standing in the entrance. She held no weapons, but she glared at him. Even with her hands held out and open like that Angus found himself terrified of her. If only he had brought his crossbow. Maybe he had his pocket knife, or a spare bolt in his bag he could use. Anything.   
  
He reached to his side and felt his stomach sink. His bag was gone. It must have still been on the sphere. All Angus could do was watch the orc approach him cautiously as he backed into the central pillar. His head was throbbing and he was exhausted and this orc was going to do world knows what to him.   
  
“Easy kid, just-just don’t run off and everything’ll be cool, okay?” Angus didn’t trust her. His eyes darted behind her to the people beginning to surround the entrance. His back was flat against the pillar now.   
  
He was finally prepared accept defeat just as the surface behind him opened up and he fell back on his rear. Angus shot the orc a dumbfounded glance before noticing a small panel near the opening he fell through. There were several buttons along it, marked with numbers and letters. An elevator, Angus realized.    
  
The orc woman dove for him just as Angus reached up and slammed his hand on the lowest button he could reach. Two doors starting sliding over the entrance as he pulled his legs in and watched the orc’s face contort into panic and she glanced over Angus.    
  
“QUICK! GRAB HIM JOHA-”   
  
The doors slid shut with a muffled thud, cutting off her voice. Angus sat back on his hands and heaved a deep sigh of relief as he felt the room move downwards. He shut his eyes for a moment, hoping it would ease some of the pounding in his head.    
  
“Ah, jeeze...that was my floor.”   
  
Angus’s eyes snapped open. He swallowed hard and, slowly, tilted his head to see the man standing behind him.   
  
He had to have been a bard. One look at his clothes and Angus could have guessed the man’s occupation from a great distance. His arms were full of scrolls and he kept adjusting his hold as be blew a stray curl out of his face. The man looked down at Angus with drooping eyes.   
  
“Did you hit the last button?”   
  
Angus hesitated, then nodded.   
  
The bard groaned in exasperation, shuffling the scrolls in his arms again. “Great. Guess I gotta wait until we go back down again. Could’ve at least waited for me to get off first.”   
  
Angus didn’t know how to respond except to apologize. “I’m sorry, sir.”   
  
“I mean, I guess it’s fine. No point complaining too much. This is just the world’s slowest elevator is-” The bard paused and scrutinized Angus. “Are you, like...an employee’s kid or something?”   
  
Angus got to his feet and wanted very much to grab the hems of his shirt, to hold the fabric between his fingers. He wanted to have something between his fingers to ground him. He balled his hands into fists instead and remained silent as he stared at the bard.   
  
“I mean, it’s whatever, I just didn’t think T͏͢h̨͟͝͞e̷͢͏ ̧͠D̴̢͢͡i̵̡r̶̨͜͏e͏c̡̡͠t̶̷͡͏o̸̴͢͠r̵̕ would be cool with-” The bard hushed when he saw Angus flinch. He pursed his lips and squinted, humming to himself a moment before speaking again. “Killian wanted me to grab you, huh?”   
  
Angus remained silent, but couldn’t help his shoulders tensing. His fists started to shake and he fought the urge to start rocking himself.   
  
The bard rolled his eyes and nodded to the scrolls in his arms. “Joke’s on her because, like, my hands are full. Sorry man.” The bard shuffled his feet and blew another curl out of his face. “You must be the guy they’re yelling about on the frequency, huh? Pretty wild.” He sighed, looking back to the elevator door. “I mean, guards’ll be waiting for you on the ground floor. Like, definitely will be. Wouldn’t let someone who’s not authorized near the V͘͘͠o̴į̕d̛͏f҉̶͟į̶̸͞s͞͏͏h̵.”   
  
Angus winced again and felt himself sway on his feet. The farther down they traveled, the more disoriented he was feeling. The static was becoming louder.   
  
“What’s causing that?”   
  
The bard looked back to Angus and blinked. “What’s causing what?”   
  
“The static.” Angus struggled to catch his breath and stay standing. “What’s doing that?”   
  
“Oh, right.” The bard chuckled. “I’m guessing you’re head’s not feeling great right now, huh?”   
  
“Is it something...here?” Angus asked, clutching his head as he spoke. It was overwhelming and he wondered if this pain was worth not letting himself be caught. “Something that makes you hear static and forget people?”   
  
The bard shrugged and seemed to be bored with the conversation already. “I mean, yeah. Like, if people knew about the B̛͝u̢r̴͘e̷̸̢̛a̡̧̕͞u͢͞҉̴ ͝͡͞o͏͏f̨̨͜͟ ̵͜B͜a̶͡͡ļ̴̵͢a̴n̕c̷͟͡e͘͝ this wouldn’t be a very good secret base, right? Securitiy measures and stuff, I guess you’d call it. That’s what the V̧͟͡o҉͜i̸͟d̴҉͠f҉͘͝i̶̡s̶̛h͘͟͢͜͠ is for. Just feed it whatever you wanna make people forget and poof.”   
  
Angus froze at the word ‘feed’. Were they going to feed him to something? Were they feeding people to some monster up here and that’s why everyone forgot them? Is that why-   
  
The elevator stopped. His time was up. The doors opened revealing two guards wielding massive spears and blue uniforms. All eyes were on him.   
  
Before the first guard could approach, Angus found himself already moving.   
  
“Ground floor - men’s wear. Sorry, I always make that-”    
  
Angus shoved the bard into the oncoming guards before he could finish his sentence. He felt awful for doing it, as the bard was the first person on the moon who didn't chase him. But, as the parchment went flying Angus couldn’t help but appreciate the last minute move. He darted past the pile of people scrambling amidst paper and metal, hearing the bard shout for everyone to stop stepping on his compositions.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To [REDACTED], may all your greens wilt and your milk sour.


End file.
